How Did You Get Started?

[ground effect]

A question from someone who does not yet have one to those of you who do...

So lets hear it folks how did you get your start in the fling wing game? Where were you, what were you doing and what were you flying?:confused:

[boomerangben]

Here's how I got started......

Used to work offshore, fancied trading a backseat for a front seat.
This was further enhanced by a trip in a real simulator and a Jet box ride around the Bungle Bungles.

First trial lesson in a Schweizer 300 in in Melbourne Aus at the end of 1995.

Did my PPL in 2 x 2week stints in Blackpool in March 1997.

Ran out of money and holidays. Ended up working abroad and didn't fly for 8 months.

Managed to save some money and started hour building.

Finally got the money together for CPLs and Instructor rating and gave up work in August 98. Started to hour build full time (with occasional short contracts in my old job)

Did my instructors course in April 99.

Got a full time instructors job in July 99 at the London School of Flying.

Did my commercial exams over the next year and got my CPL in June 2000.

Offered a job in the NS at the begining of 2001. Moved to Aberdeen in the March and went back to my old career for 3 months while waiting for a slot on the Instrument rating course.

Started flying NS in November 2001.

Now flying SAR.

So those who know me now know my PPRuNe handle!

[charlie s charlie]

A few more potted histories here:
From First Lesson to First Pay Cheque (http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?threadid=122689)

[DanRS]

Good post Ben :)

For us beginners (first solo last weekend) it's heartening to hear success stories.

Keep up the good work

Cheers Dan

[RobboRider]

Mine was not such a meteoric rise through the ranks from back seat driver to front seater but was a fun way do it.

1982 - 89 Army reservist - lots of being shunted around in the back of RAAF UH-1Hs (in the days before the army took them over.) and in occasional Kiowa or Chinook. Best fun to be had with pants still on!

Somewhere in that - Airborne rappelling courses (courtesy of army) -- even better fun with pants still on!

1990-ish Occasional medical passenger in back of emergency services squirrel for interhospital type transfers of critical patients. Helicopters AND Emergency medicine - even more fun.

No more for 6 years. Had a look at an R22 on display in a shopping centre once - not impressed by the tinny little cyclic and cost of training.

1996 - Sitting in operating theatre tea room (4th floor) watched a thumping big B412 descend past the window into hospital pad. Commented to someone how it would be great to work on that and was told they needed docs with my specialty to work part time on it. Rang the quoted person and said I was keen - 10 minutes later I was on the staff! Had to do the safety/winching training etc and first mission a couple of weeks later.
Even more fun with said pants still in previously mentioned position!

Within a few months - fun still there but looked like more fun in the front of the machine - discussions with many people about how, where how much etc. Basic advice - don't bother - too costly, too fickle for a living, no good for a family man with house mortgage etc. Persisted and convinced "she who must be obeyed" that the money I earned on the Rescue helicopter - because it was above and beyond the call of duty - could be used to fund training.

Went for a TIF - scared sh...less but if previous helo experience was fun ....this was ecstacy! Somehow forgot how tinny the R22 was!

Tried a plankwing TIF (thought it might be cheaper to get fixed wing first and convert )- boring so went and signed up for PPL helo training.

Longish training due to usual things like finance flow, Wx, school closing down, change schools, etc etc. 15 or so months later PPL (H).

Since then hired for a while off school then school closed again and I bought their R22.

It would be nice to be paid to fly but by good fortune and a fair bit of hard work in my other field really have no economic need for a commercial licence. Now about 650 hours of time in my log book.

Lots of flying adventures (see http://helipics.homestead.com and http://secretmensbusiness.homestead.com ) since.

[dammyneckhurts]

First day of flight school March 8/ 91, 100 hours later started work on May 9/91. So I guess that was 61 ish days from zero time to first revenue hour....Total of 260 hrs by the end of the first year.
Hit 1000 hrs half way through third season, and started working year round after that. Thinking I was a very lucky guy!

[pa42]

As chief corporate jet pilot in 1987, I talked the company into buying helicopter (not hard, bossfellah was addicted to flashy machinery and drove from left seat whenever on jet).

obviously (well, to me, and they bought into it) it would be needful to put me through fling-training. But I got it in my head that if i didn't START going to medical school at ripe old age of 45, I'd be too old (already was--details, details!). So I quit.

6 months later, tired of 20-hour days studying & trying desperately to keep up with the fresh-out-of-college crowd, I called Bossfellah: "Can I come back?" Yes. "Is the Helicopter deal and the raise still on?" Yes.

Talk about miracles! Call Ripley.

So I went through the Commercial (mostly spread around 10 different schools in places where we routinely did all-day standby--and hence my permanent preoccupation with standardizing the undisciplined instructional curricula).

And after deciding the A305 was the ONLY bird flashy enough and quiet enough to fit on BossFellahHorseRanch, the multiple vice-presidents (insurance company!) threatened to mutiny if their raises for next 10 years went into me and damn heli.

So we junked the heli project, and I had to wait until retirement to use my bountiful savings from FL 410 trips to buy R22 and have fun.

Corporate f/w, I must say, generally pays much better than rotor anything.

[BlenderPilot]

I met some pilots and asked what it took get my first job, they said a CPL and that's it, so I worked about a year to gather about 26K, went to the US, got a FW CPL with a Helicopter CPL add-on, came back in March with 180 cessna hours and no more than 40 R22 hours, got my first job SIC Bell 212, got lucky and flew a bunch of hours in the first year with old pilots who would let me do everything except scare them, by the second year "the elders" said I was good to go PIC, that's it.

Although I wish I had flown with the old guys more, I learned so much during each flight, when I can I still join them just to gain more knowledge and a different perspective from the more experienced guys.

To fly with one of the older guys who have flown everything, everywhere is PRICELESS if you are talking about learning the art of flying helicopters.
They won't show you how to hover the machine properly, more importantly they will teach you to expect the unexpected, judgement, and decision making skill, in the real world, which to me is the most important part of flying. I consider flying with these pilots was to me, like for a lawyer to attend Harvard, or a scientist, MIT.